LAY DOWN BESIDE ME-Alison Krauss/John Waite-thie lyrics

YUMA~AZ

Tuesday: Yuma is new territory for both of us; Holland has lived in, and worked in Arizona … but has done neither in Yuma. And of course, the Southern portion of the USA is entirely new to me.

We want to spend a significant amount of time in Arizona, so when we had woken and took our time shaking the early morning cobwebs, we started calling the other two RV Resorts we'd chosen to stay at; if there was availability.

The silver bridge is 1-lane, and we were able to pass over safely.

Downtown Yuma-AZ

We hit pay dirt at 'Desert Holiday RV Resort'; so we booked a week's stay :-)

We bought a Money Card here - and thankfully it was accepted by the RV Resort Booking Agent.

On our way to the RV Resort, we passed by a neighborhood canal: I had never seen one before, though I have read about them. The water seemed high, and I said to Holland, "That water looks pretty high -does it ever jump the banks?" Holland said, "No, because it is controlled; it can be decreased in volume … or increased in volume, depending on the need. It comes from the Colorado river."

Yuma neighborhood canal; water from the Colorado River.

Holland says the Colorado River becomes a trickle along the Southren border.

The outlying neighborhoods of Yuma is where the action is.

A Cell Tower designed t blend into it's surroundings - Holland had never seen one before; for once, I had knowledge to share ;-)

We're very close to the Mexico border, here.

We liked what we saw when we arrived at the Resort.

But the space that had been booked for us was too tight to get our loooong Home into; Holland gave it a good try, but it was just too tight every which way - the booked space was pretty close to a decorative brick wall, too ... and it was making me nervous; no matter how good a driver my husband is. The space was just too darned t.i.g.h.t. for us - I wasn't even sure we'd be able to get out slide-outs all the way out, once we managed to squeeze in there. The guy guiding us in, finally said, "I think I can put you in a space that will be easier for you."

And he did.

Just too tight; Holland was good at jockeying the rigs - but it was just too tight. This guy was friendly & helpful. We are thankful.

(((THANK YOU , LORD!)))

So, we finally got set-up; and ran out to grab a Chinese Supper.

And if we like it here, we'll pay for a month's stay so we can get out and about, enjoying Yuma :-)

*Things To Do in Yuma-AZ: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g31418-Activities-Yuma_Arizona.html

**Interesting Things About Yuma-AZ:

1. There are 308 annual days of sunshine in Yuma: the annual sunshine average in Yuma, Arizona is 91 per cent of the possible hours of sunshine. This equals 308 sunny days per year and of 4,055 hours out of 4,456 possible hours of sun in a year.

2. Yuma is the sunniest place in the world: the average July high temperature can hit a 107 - 100+ days with 100 degrees in Yuma.

3. 4th Avenue, Yuma-AZ, is older than Route 66. We are currently parked on 4th Avenue ;-)

4. In the 30’s and 40’s Yuma was the wedding capital of the United States. Arizona did not have a waiting period or any residency requirements for getting married. Many traveled from California including celebrities from Hollywood to Yuma to tie the knot.

5. The Yuma Union High School mascot name is the Criminals. It is the only high school in the US to use the mascot; it is also the only high school in the United States whose mascot is copyrighted.

Full story about how they got their mascot name, here: https://www.yumaunion.org/Page/435

6. 7,500 acres of Medjool dates are grown in Yuma.

7. Yuma is the lettuce capital of the world. It supplies 75% of the lettuce worldwide.

8. Juan Bautista de Anza was the first European to establish an overland route from Mexico, through the Sonoran Desert, to the Pacific coast of California. In 1774, his expedition arrived at the confluence of the Gila and Colorado rivers (present-day Yuma, Arizona).

9. In the 1850’s-1860’s Yuma was one of the most most important crossing into the West and a supply depot for people heading to California

10. From 1860-1901 Yuma followed Victorian principles (some men & women today, are still stuck in this mentality - I've met more than a few at the Oak Point Grange, Longview-WA).

Victorian Life Info, here: https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era

11. Wyatt Earp was a Faro dealer (French gambling card game) in Yuma in 1897.

12. Yuma prison opened in 1876 and had more modern amenities than most homes in Yuma.

13: State Historic Park is a National Landmark.

14: Arizona became a state in 1912 (the last continental state in the United States).

15. It’s a military town. Yuma is the busiest air station in the Marine Corps, MCAS Yuma supports 80 percent of the Corps’ air-to-ground aviation training because of its access to 2.8 million acres of training ranges and superb flying weather: the overhead jets are LOUD, and fly late into the evening.

Learn more here: www.visityuma.com/military.html

16. Yuma is located 10 miles from the Mexico border.

LAKE HAVASU~AZ

Monday: We pulled stakes early this morning, and headed towards Lake Havasu.

Leaving Quartzsite-AZ for Lake Havasu-AZ.

We hit the road with high expectations.

Holland had been to Lake Havasu several times (8 yo, 27 yo, & 28 yo); his mother lived there 1993 and he spent a few weeks her and her husband, and his younger siblings - and he went back to visit again, the following year.

He had memories to revisit.

I had never been there … but I had friends who had been there and raved about it as being "the place to be!"

I was curious.

And I wanted to see the famous London Bridge, which had been purchased, shipped from London, and erected in a desert portion of Arizona State ;-)

How London Bridge Came to Lake Havasu-AZ: https://travelthruhistory.com/london-bridge-lake-havasu-arizona/

As we got closer to Lake Havasu, we crossed a river that had palm trees and what looked to be reeds growing along the banks. The further we drove, the thicker the reeds got - and the thinner the water course became.

I was curious, so Holland pulled over so I could get a closer look.

A contrast of Nature; Saguaro Cactus & Cattails sharing the same space.

Desert Pupfish: (https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/fish/desert_pupfish/natural_history.html)

Bill Williams River is getting choked by cattails.

Cattails: the river was being choked off by acres of cattails! I was surprised because I did not know that cattails grew in the desert.

That was an interesting learning curve ;-)

Bill Williams River-AZ: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Williams_River

Cattails/Southren Cattail-AZ: https://cabezaprieta.org/plant_page.php?id=2449

When we finally got to Lake Havasu, it was nothing as we imagined :-(

NO WHERE did  see even a sign advertising any type of RV Park: nada.

Everywhere are high-rise condos, sprawling summer homes for the rich and famous, and hotel resorts everywhere you looked: it was a claustrophobic atmosphere of hollywood proportions.

Lake Havasu City is now a tourist trap oozing classless society rank: money reigns.

Not at all what I was looking for, for relaxation.

Not at all what Holland remembered.

Holland remembered swimming in the lake, and he wanted to show it to me. We drove down towards the lake, not knowing that it was a State Park - Holland remembers being able to just walk down to the beach and enjoy a swim without fanfare: today, we encountered a Park Entrance with a snarky Park Attendant. Once you enter the Park you cannot get back out again without going through a Pay Station (that's okay - I have a State Park waiver card), and the attendant lunged at the truck, barking, "Do you need to dump your RV?" Holland said, "No, but we are looking for a place to stay …" She didn't even let him finish talking before barking, "We're full." Holland calmly said, "I read the sign - what I was going to ask you is, 'do you know of any other RV Parks to recommend?'" She said she didn't.

We were both surprised at her tone, stance, and total blow off; it was still early in the day (10:30 A.M.) - her work day couldn't have been {a rough day} already to put her in such a sour-puss mood.

So, we drove through the Park to the exit, saying in unison: "Wow."

With no signs at all advertising RV Parks, and no useful tips from snarky inhabitants, we decided to check out the bridge … and head to Yuma.

And that was perfectly fine with me.

I didn't see - hear - or feel a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. in, or about Lake Havasu, that made me want to stick around.

The most interesting sight in the whole city …

The London Bridge - the city took license with the rebuilding.

20 minutes in Lake Havasu … and we turned towards Yuma.

About an hour later, coming into Yuma, the saraguo cactus were very tall and plentiful: in places they were as thick as a forest.

The ground was so hard-baked by the sun's heat, that at times - when the sun rays hit just right … that furnace-heat-baked patina made the rocks look like broken, shiny, glass shards spread across the desert landscape.

When Holland spotted the huge military tanks heralding the YPG, he gave me a rundown on how the Ford Company uses the grounds to test their vehicles for strength and endurance.

Yuma 'Proving Grounds'; Test Branch, Army Corps of Engineers. 21 miles from Yuma-AZ

The Yuma Proving Grounds was first used by the military in 1942 for training desert troops. The mission changed in 1943, when the site began to be used as a testing ground for bridges and river crossing equipment, boats, vehicles and well drilling equipment under the designation of Yuma Test Branch, Army Corps of Engineers; it's purpose is to the determine the durability and probable life of a piece of equipment.

YPG is approximately 830,000 acres (1,300 square miles) and is hemmed in on the west by the Colorado River, and on the south by the Gila River.

I was hyped up to see Yuma. Yuma is an old west town.

It was a little after 3 P.M. when we made Yuma. We had been up very early in the day; we started looking for a place to park our 5th wheel for the night. Holland had done some research the night before and we had settled on three possibilities ... so, we started calling around.

The 'Del Pueblo RV Resort' was our 1st pick, so we called; and then drove over there. The layout was nice - but the host was not. After taking down Holland's entire life history before telling him the monthly rate (and watching him count the $$$ out in front of her), she told him, "We don't accept cash." So, Holland picked up the $$$, and came back to the pickup frustrated and pissed. He got in Betsy and said, "They wouldn't take cash - they want a Card; we'll go to Wal*Mart and get one … but we won't be coming back here; the lady's attitude sucks."

We called the other two places, but Offices had closed for the day :-(

The RV Parks here will not take cash … up North, everyone wants cash, not cards; down South people only want Cards, not cash; that's nutty.

So, we started looking for a Casino parking lot; and found one.

We hunkered down in their sandy back lot, and enjoyed a peaceful rest: Holland just kicked back and relaxed until we turned in, Bleu ran all over the place until we turned in, and I started a new Clive Cussler novel - and read 200 pages before turning in (I'm a speed reader & Clive adventures keep you turning the pages) ;-)

Paradise Casino; we spent a peaceful night here.

Quechan Indian Tribe "Paradise' Casino~Yuma-AZ:  (https://www.indiangaming.com/quechan-indian-tribe-reveals-new-expansion-plans-for-paradise-casino/)